


Brevis Tabulatorum

by agrajag



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Asexual Character, Multi, The Raven King Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 14:45:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6758305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agrajag/pseuds/agrajag
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few drabbles of post-TRK life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Brevis Tabulatorum

**filia**

College was vastly different from how Adam had imagined it. If anything, Aglionby was far closer to the picture in his mind: egotism, lots of alcohol fueled parties, and students taking their education for granted. He figured that may have been more true in the 80's when it didn't cost a small fortune to simply finish general education courses, let alone requirements for your degree, or perhaps late night showings of Revenge of the Nerds lied to him. While movies had made college out to be an appealing experience for other reasons, Adam was pleasantly surprised with how the reality was turning out. Rather than spending four more years with older versions of Ravens looking down on him, he was meeting more people like him. Hard workers who knew what it took to make something for themselves.

In Adam's Math 101 class, he sat next to a middle aged woman named Betsy.

_"Goodness me, I was named after my grandmother. Please, call me Bee. Everyone does."_

She had married her high school sweetheart after graduation, raised a daughter who was about to finish high school herself, and was now deciding to further her own education. Adam admired her so much. She always seemed to be happy, even in the dimly lit classroom at eight in the morning and facing another boring lecture on basic algebra. She never voiced regret with her choices. All that mattered was that she was here now, but she still loved her daughter and would not have changed anything. Adam couldn't help but think of Opal back in Henrietta. His last summer at home -

\- _not his last, he had to correct himself now, for he knew he'd return to Ronan, to Opal_ -

\- had quickly became less preparing for college and more time spent at the Barns, raising Opal with Ronan.

He found himself telling Bee about them one day after agreeing to work on an assignment together at the campus coffee shop. Bee's hand paused with her cup halfway to her mouth and she frowned for the first time Adam could recall. She recovered quickly, however, and to anyone else it would have looked like nothing had happened. Adam couldn't tell if it was disapproval or -

\- _god, please not_ -

\- something worse.

"Oh, I know I'm not one to say anything, but you are so young to have..."

Adam never had thought about it, but he was starting to realize how the situation must look to outsiders.

He and Ronan.

Both just turned eighteen.

Both men.

And Opal.

She would have had a mother. She was far too old to actually be one of their's biologically. She looked nothing like either of them. She would switch mid-sentence from English to Latin and then to dream.

Alright, he had no idea how the situation must look to outsides other than insane. Luckily, he could save himself.

"Well, Opal isn't actually our daughter. Ronan's mother recently just passed away. His brothers and him are old enough, but Opal is still young. Declan and Matthew, his brothers, were away when it happened, and Ronan told them that it would be fine and he'd take care of her. Matthew still has one more year of high school, after all, and he didn't want them to uproot. It may be presumptuous of me to refer to her mine, but this summer, it just... just felt right."

And it had. Henrietta had never felt like home until one afternoon at the Barns, when Adam realized he had never been happier as he watched Opal chase after Chainsaw through the fields while Ronan lay next to him and lightly brushed his fingers along the back of Adam's hand.

"Oh sweetheart," Bee said as she reached across the slightly sticky table and patted Adam's hand. "I'm sorry. I should have handled that better. I know how it is to be so young with such a responsibility. That's so brave of you. Honestly, both you and that boy of yours."

Adam smiled.

_that boy of his_

"Thank you, Bee."

**emitto**

The matter of the fact was this: Henry had not lied to Blue when he said he wasn't trying to get into her pants. (Or, well, toga as it was.)

He may have been trying to get into Gansey's pants, however, for months before she was even in the picture. So in his defense, he should be the one offended. Except he couldn't be. He already liked Blue so much, and she was clearly good for Gansey. So he tried not to look like a kicked puppy (because that's honestly how he felt) and told her the most comforting thing his drunken mind could come up with: "I'm Henry-sexual."

Which he supposed wasn't a bad way of putting it. He wasn't actually interested in what was in either of their pants. He just knew he really liked Gansey and maybe wanted to kiss him a little (or a lot). And when he found out that Blue couldn't kiss Gansey, his heart immediately went out to them.

They had discussed it (in length) since they left on their road trip. Sure, the main objective of said road trip was to escape their magical world for awhile, but certain things did have to be addressed.

Though Henry didn't have to be around for the Kissing Talk. He just sort of ended up involved since the motel room's they tended to rent were ever so small.

Gansey thought they should be able to kiss now. The prophecy (or destiny? premonition?) had already come true once. Surely they were safe.

Blue thought they shouldn't risk it. There was no handy Cabeswater 2.0 laying around to save Gansey a third time.

Henry thought he also wanted to kiss Blue after all. (He did not voice this.)

Until one night.

To set the scene: Blue was catching fireflies in a field (perhaps they were all a little homesick despite it all). Henry and Gansey were leaning against the Dream Pig that they had parked off to the side of the road. Gansey was watching Blue and, really, the only way to describe his face was starstruck. Completely enamored.

Henry didn't want to ruin their friendship. Or his and Blue's friendship. Or Gansey and Blue's relationship. Well, _shit_ , so much could go wrong.

But he had to help.

"What you need is a middle man," he said, his voice sounding much louder than he intended. It wasn't even that quiet out. They were by a highway.

Gansey, admittedly, looked confused. "What?"

"Kissing, Ganseyman. Keep up. Someone to kiss Blue, then to kiss you. Transfer the kiss, so to speak. And since I'm already third wheeling here, I suppose I can offer my services."

"Oh Henry." Gansey gently pressed his fingers against Henry's chin, and in another world, he'd be tilting his head up, and be leaning in, and... and...

"You're not a third wheel," he said, instead.

Sure felt like it. Especially after that.

But then Gansey _was_ kissing him. He was kissing him, chaste and sweet, but so perfect. Blue came running up and threw her arms around both of them.

"I thought we were gonna discuss this first," she said with a pout. She didn't seem to honestly be upset.

"You two do far too much talking, Plain Jane," Henry said.

And then Blue was kissing him, too. A bit less chaste, a bit less experienced, but just as good. When she pulled back, she brought her arm from around his waist and opened her hand.

Three fireflies tumbled out.

**novus**

_Opal._

That's what Kerah called her now.

Far better than Orphan Girl. _Pupilli._

How could she be an orphan when she never had parents?

There was simply her. Kerah. And the night terrors.

But the night terrors seemed to be gone for now. Strange, since she assumed they'd return when Watch left. He had often featured in dreams, although it was an unspoken rule that Opal was not to appear during those ones. It didn't stop her from knowing of Watch and what he meant to Kerah. _Amare._ He hadn't dreamt of that before. Not this kind, at least. Opal found herself happy that he had Watch. He was good for him.

Therefore, Kerah wasn't the only one sad when the BMW drove off from the Barns for the last time until summer.

"No, don't worry," Kerah explained. "Adam will come back to visit far before then."

And he seemed so sure. So Opal supposed it must be true. Watch would return.

Perhaps she did have parents after all. In their own, weird, little way.

_Domum._

**Author's Note:**

> Latin Translations
> 
> brevis tabulatorum - short stories  
> filia - daughter  
> emitto - free  
> novus - new  
> pupilli - orphan  
> amare - love  
> domum - home


End file.
